Original Recording Date: May 31, 2024

 Host John McLeod sits down with Charles Werner, a 40-year public safety veteran, former Fire Chief, Director of DRONERESPONDERS, and Aviation Technologies Advisor for the Virginia Department of Aviation. Drawing from over four decades of service and tech leadership, Charles shares insights into how public safety UAS has rapidly expanded from seven initial use cases to over 50 today across more than 6,000 agencies nationwide.

The conversation explores practical frameworks for starting a public safety drone program, contrasting FAA Part 107 civil operations with Part 91 Public Aircraft Operations (COAs), and emphasizing why proactive community outreach and transparency are critical before launching flights. Charles addresses pressing legislative and geopolitical topics, including country of origin hardware bans, supply chain realities, and state-level policy trends. Additionally, he highlights crucial future developments in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), detect and avoid (DAA) systems, standardized pilot training, and the urgent need for local detection and mitigation capabilities against nefarious drone activity near critical infrastructure and correctional facilities.

 As public safety agencies across the country face rapid technological changes, evolving FAA regulations, and geopolitical debates over hardware origins, program leaders need clear guidance to build resilient programs. Charles Werner provides a masterclass in program governance, community relations, federal advocacy, and airspace safety, helping command staff navigate complex policy shifts while leveraging drones to save lives and protect communities.

Episode Highlights: 

[03:37] Charles reflects on his early predictions for public safety drones, noting how the industry expanded from seven envisioned use cases to over 50 today across 6,000+ public safety agencies (70% law enforcement, 25% fire service, and 5% emergency management/search and rescue).

[06:47] Addressing collaboration and FAA regulatory navigation, Charles highlights how DRONERESPONDERS unites over a hundred DFR agencies to address COA inconsistencies, streamline waiver approvals, and build direct, effective lines of communication with the FAA.

[09:25] When adopting new public safety technology, Charles dictates three strict criteria to vendors: it must offer a clear value proposition, fit within limited public safety budgets, and be easy to implement into existing systems.

[10:50] Charles outlines foundational steps for starting a drone program, explaining the operational differences between Part 107 and PAO COAs, and stressing why public outreach, policy transparency, and community buy-in must happen before an agency ever launches an aircraft.

[16:32] Discussing country of origin hardware concerns and legislative restrictions, Charles analyzes the supply chain gap between domestic and foreign drone manufacturers, advocating for federal security standards, domestic production subsidies, and proactive legislative education by agency leaders.

[22:25] Looking over the technology horizon, Charles shares excitement for onboard detect-and-avoid (DAA) capabilities, vehicle-to-vehicle airspace communication, multi-drone control by a single pilot, swarm technology for search and rescue, and AI-driven disaster damage assessment.

[28:02] Addressing growing risks surrounding drone misuse, contraband drops at correctional facilities, and stadium incursions, Charles underscores the critical need to expand drone detection and Counter-UAS mitigation authorities to state and local public safety agencies.

[35:13] Charles details real-world success stories from de-escalating potential armed confrontations and preventing police ambushes to directing interior fire streams and locating missing children demonstrating how sharing tangible metrics and operational wins secures ongoing community and council support.

• DRONERESPONDERS Website: https://www.droneresponders.org/

• Charles Werner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-werner-droneresponders/

• DroneSense Website: https://www.dronesense.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=dronecast-rethinking-public-safety-one-drone-at-a-time-ep69